dbcve.org
AutomateApplication · Connectwise

CVE-2021-35066

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2021.0.6.132 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An XXE vulnerability exists in ConnectWise Automate before 2021.0.6.132.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

An XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability exists in ConnectWise Automate, a remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution, affecting versions prior to 2021.0.6.132. This allows attackers to inject malicious XML payloads to read local files, perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), or denial of service attacks.

MitigationUpdate ConnectWise Automate to version 2021.0.6.132 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement strict input validation on XML endpoints.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AutomateApplication
Affected:< 2021.0.6.132

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify ConnectWise Automate is installed
    Locate the ConnectWise Automate installation directory, typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) with folder name containing 'ConnectWise' or 'Automate', or check for the Automate service running in Windows Services.
    Affected if The software is present and running on the system.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Check the version of ConnectWise Automate by accessing the Control Center, going to Help > About, or locating a version file in the installation directory. Compare against the affected version range of < 2021.0.6.132.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2021.0.6.132.
  3. Identify XML input points
    Review the Automate web interface for features that accept XML input, such as import functions, API endpoints, or integration settings that process XML data.
    Affected if XML input functionality is exposed and accessible to users or attackers.
  4. Check XML parser configuration
    Examine the XML parser settings within the Automate configuration or look for libxml/xml parsing configuration files in the installation directory that control external entity processing.
    Affected if External entity processing is enabled in the XML parser configuration.

A system is affected if ConnectWise Automate version is below 2021.0.6.132 AND XML input features that accept external data are accessible without disabled external entity processing in the XML parser.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2021.0.6.132 or later
Fixed in 2021.0.6.132
Interim mitigation

Update ConnectWise Automate to version 2021.0.6.132 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement strict input validation on XML endpoints.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

2021.0.6.132 or later

  1. Ensure you have a complete backup of the ConnectWise Automate server and database before proceeding
  2. Review ConnectWise Automate upgrade documentation at docs.connectwise.com or the partner portal
  3. Download ConnectWise Automate version 2021.0.6.132 or later from the ConnectWise partner portal
  4. Stop all Automate services or place the system in maintenance mode if available
  5. Run the installer for version 2021.0.6.132
  6. Follow the on-screen upgrade wizard prompts
  7. After upgrade completes, verify all services start successfully
  8. Log in to the Automate web interface and verify system functionality

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Automate Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-35066 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data